Serendipity
by adagio11
Summary: [CHAPTER 7 UP!]Determined to maintain a relationship wtih Tony, Kate is prepared for anything. But she can’t help but become a bit shocked, when he reveals another of his secrets. Sequel to “Old Habits Die Hard  [TATE]
1. Chapter 1

**_Hey! Here is the desired sequel to Old Habits Die Hard. This story will be a little bit more serious and a bit darker but I'll try and put in some humor on the side. It'll reveal more about Tony past. It'll feature a child but no, it's no one's hidden little progeny, it's __not__ a child from a case that Tony and Kate will end up taking care of at the same time as Kate just __happens __to get pregnant. Big no no. No, I integrated a kid to the story since it's fun writing them and they can say very cute stuff. This is also supposed to be my first real case file. We'll see how that goes…Anyway, I've made some research for this story and I hope I go most of it right. Addresses, places and roller coasters do exist for real:)_ _So, please read and review :D_**

**Dedication: **This chapter is dedicated to Josh Berman, Deran Sarafian, Carol Mendelsohn and Rich Cataloni, creators of the CSI episode "Turn the screws" s4e21 and to the rest of the CSI cast, especially to William Peterson/Gil Grissom, for Grissom's lame humor which is expressed so amazingly good by Peterson. Makes me laugh everytime.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

When Tony woke up, he wasn't surprised to find the bed empty. Since the summer heat had struck them a few weeks ago, Kate'd always been up before the sun. Yawning, he got out of bed and went to the kitchen. As he expected, he found Kate by the table, fanning herself with a newspaper and with a glass of ice tea before here.

"How long have you been up?" he asked and bent down to kiss her forehead. She shrugged and glanced at the clock on the wall.

"Since…five maybe"

"That's almost two hours, Katie"

"Well, it isn't my fault that the air conditioner isn't working" she muttered.

The power had come back only days before but just as they could relish the cool air, their source of bliss had broken down and Tony's landlord had receiving enough complaints to fill at least two file cabinets. Tony had just laughed and once again reminded her about how ironic it was, just as when her heating broke last winter. When he received a glare he pointed out for her that if it hasn't been for that, they would be here and then Kate would surrender.

"They'll fix it by the end of the week, Kate"

"Yeah, cause melting away on 4th July doesn't seem like an appealing thought"

Tony chuckled. Sometimes her comments were priceless. It made his day sometimes.

"Look on the bright side, Katie. In 45 minutes, we'll sit in the car and you can put the air conditioner on full blast"

"Yeah, whatever. But if your damn landlord doesn't get this fixed soon I'll consider staying at home until he does what he's asked"

Tony just smiled and shook his head. Kate hadn't been home for almost six weeks and even if it wasn't official yet, you could say that he and Kate lived together. It had fallen natural just as their relationship. In the beginning she only stayed on the weekends but as the mountain of her clothes on the chair in the bedroom, she'd begun to stay overnight during the weeks as well.

"Aww, you'd never leave me here all by myself"

"Whatever. Why don't we just live at my place until it's fixed?"

"You want to drag all your stuff back home, fine with me" he said and Kate knew he was right. It would take days to only gather her things and get them back home and by then, the air conditioner would probably be back in business.

"I hate it when you're right. I'm taking a shower" she announced and stood, proceeding to kiss him before waltzing out of the kitchen, leaving an amused Tony behind.

---

By the time they arrived at HQ, Kate was in a much better mood. The cool air in Tony's car had apparently cheered her up. As every other day, they put a few minutes between their arrivals since, to their surprise, Gibbs didn't seem to know about their relationship. Abby knew of course. Tony hadn't been so happy when Kate revealed that Abby knew but when he realised that Abby hadn't told anyone he had just shrugged it off and forgiven her.

Kate went first today and wasn't surprised to find Gibbs by his desk already. The two empty coffee cups in the bin told her that he'd been there for a while. Only second later, McGee came in, not taking notice of any of them since he was busy with his iPod. Kate checked the clock on her computer and true, nine minutes after her, Tony came in, pretending that he hadn't seen her since yesterday, as usual.

Gibbs noticed their greetings but he knew better. He wanted to tell them that they could come in together, he wasn't that stupid. But Jen's words rang in his ears and he really didn't know why he listened to them. Since when did he listen to her? Mentally shaking his head at himself, he turned his attention back to his computer screen. About 20 minutes later, the phone rang and he answered with a simple "Gibbs", as usual.

"New case, let's go" his agents quickly gathered their backpacks and without further questions, followed him to the elevator.

"Boss, where are we going?" Tony dared to ask as they rode down to the garage.

"Doswell, Virginia"

"Never heard of" he replied and Gibbs glare told him not to ask anything else. Down in the garage, they met up with Ducky and Palmer. After short greetings they go into their trucks and left the Navy Yard.

"Gibbs, can you tell us where we are going? What this case is about?"

"Dead body in Virginia. What else do you need to know, agent Todd?" Kate let out a sigh. Gibbs calling her "agent Todd" roughly meant, "please shut up". She exchanged a glance with Tony that only meant one thing. _Someone's in a mood today…_

---

"An amusement park?" Tony called out as Gibbs parked and quickly got out without answering.

"King's Dominion" Kate read from the sign above the entrance. "Someone dumped a corpse here?" She was almost right, in the wooded area just beside the entrance to the amusement park, the local LEO's had roped off with bright yellow tape. They flashed their bags and Ducky easily wandered over branches to reach the body. She was female, in her mid-twenties, laying on her back with dried blood on her face.

"Oh, my dear. What happened to you?" he said and bent down to examine her injuries. Knowing their tasks, Tony, Kate and McGee had scrambled off to begin their work while Gibbs stood behind Ducky, hoping to get a cause of death.

"Not much. Seems like this poor lady suffered major injuries to her head. Is she in the Navy?"

"Yes. Petty officer… Alana Gordon. ID was found in her purse" Gibbs mumbled and read from his notepad. "Got a ToD?"

"Soon, Jethro. Patience…" Ducky said good-naturedly and waved at Palmer to bring the bags. Gibbs stalked off and passed Kate, who just had finished taking pictures.

"When you're done, you and Tony go and talk to the boys over there. They found the body this morning"  
"Got it"

A few minutes later, she and Tony left the buzzing scene, ducking under the tape and meeting up with a group of teenage boys, not older than sixteen maybe, who stood by crummy looking car, apparently extremely confused by the whole situation.

"Special agents DiNozzo and Todd, NCIS. Let's make this quick, who found the body?" Tony said, going into professional mode. Kate smiled to herself. There really was a difference between Tony at work and Tony at home. _Guess I fell for them both…_she mused.

Snapping back to reality, feeling guilty for letting her personal thoughts peek forward. This was exactly what they _shouldn't_ do. Bringing personal emotions into work was exactly what she and Tony had agreed not to do.

"I…had to…well go to the bathroom, but the park wasn't open yet, so… I went over those trees" one of the boys said and pointed towards the scene. "Then I just spotted her lying there" Tony nodded, writing it down in his notepad.

"Then what?" Kate asked.

"As I said, the park hadn't opened yet, but we caught one of the security guards and a few minutes later this place was filled with cops"

"You didn't touch the body?" At this, half of the group looked shocked and the other half, disgusted.

"No way!"

After a few more questions, they thanked them for their co-operation and went to go back to the scene.

"Strange I've never been here" Tony said.

"Let me guess, you're one of those crazy people who get a thrill by riding roller coasters until you puke, and then you go again when your stomach is empty?"

"Pretty much, yeah. I love roller coasters! I've been to Six Flags like a million times!"

"Geez…" Kate deadpanned and rolled her eyes.

"Oh, Holy shit! Look at that" he pointed towards a roller coaster and when Kate followed his gaze, her eyes widened. It looked like a regular roller coaster until about half into the ride. First, slowly ascending to the top of a hill just to, seconds later, drop in 90 degrees.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"That's one hell of a ride. When this case is over we have to go here, Kate"

"Thanks, but no thanks" she said sarcastically, lifting the tape. "Come on. Looks like we're finished here" she said when she spotted the black body bag being moved into Ducky's truck.

---

At HQ, Kate was asked, or rather ordered, to pull out the petty officer's file while evidence was delivered to Abby.

"If you're not going with me Kate, Abby is coming" Tony announced as he passed her desk. She just rolled her eyes and kept reading. When Gibbs arrived, coffee in hand and McGee in tow, she put it up on the plasma.

"Petty officer Alana Gordon, stationed in Little Creek. Lives in Hampton since –04. Been in the Navy for five years. Only family on record is a brother. Lucas Gordon. I couldn't track down his address" Kate finished her brief presentation.

"His last address?" Gibbs inquired.

"New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York"

"Let me guess, he's not there anymore?" Tony said and Kate nodded. "Was released two months ago. Our usual luck…"

"Track him down, Kate. Tony and McGee, go and check out her apartment in Hampton" Gibbs ordered. With a discreet sigh and a wink at Kate, Tony left the bullpen, McGee following suit.

---

It was late afternoon when the guys returned from Hampton. Kate had still not been able to track down Lucas Gordon, which made Gibbs even grumpier, if that was now even possible. He walked off now and then. When he'd come back from Abby's with the knowledge that nothing had come up on the evidence, Kate felt it was safest to stay out of his way.

"Where's Gibbs?" Tony asked when he arrived back, looking extremely tired.

"Probably spreading his joy and happiness in some coffee shop. Any success in Hampton?"

"Lotsa photographs. And I mean _a lot_" McGee butted in. He held up several evidence bags containing both framed photos and albums. "Maybe we can get some information from her acquaintances"

"Good idea" Kate agreed and kept typing. Since the brother left New York there was nothing on him.

"Shouldn't the hospital keep track of their patients? I mean, even if they're improving they should stay in contact with the hospital, right?" Kate questioned and the guys agreed.

Half an hour later, Gibbs came back as Kate just hung up the phone. "I think I've made almost forty phone calls within an hour. Seriously"

"Then make another forty until you find him" Gibbs said firmly. "Got anything from the apartment?"

"Photos" McGee quickly replied. "I brought them to Abby for fingerprints"

"Kate, go down and try and to identify some of them. Maybe get some names from them" Nodding, Kate left.

"Hey, Kate. You still here?" Glancing at her clock, Kate groaned. It was almost six thirty.

"Gibbs is in a very bad mood today"

"I noticed. I wonder why…Anyway, I'm done with the prints. No prints except the vic's"

"Didn't expect anything else…So, wanna help me go through them?" Abby just shrugged and brought the albums over to the table.

"Oh God, she had a lot of spare time" Abby commented as they opened the first one. The photos were neatly organized in chronological order, all of them having a pretty witty line written in neat cursive beneath them.

"Indeed" Kate said. They flipped through the pages. This first three mostly contained old photos from the 90's. Most of them were from family gatherings, school plays and birthday parties. The following one was more interesting. It held photos from college and a few recent ones as well.

"I have one interesting name so far" Kate said and glanced down at her notepad. "Shawn. Shouldn't an organized person like her write more than just Shawn. Maybe…a little hint about who he is!" Kate said sarcastically. "Anyway, thanks Abs. I'll see if we can get out of here now"

"Still staying at Tony's?" Abby asked with a knowing grin. Kate just made a dismissive gesture with her hand and left. "Bye Abs"

---

Up in the bullpen, Tony was packing his stuff and McGee was already gone. "We get to leave?" Kate wondered, surprised.

"Yep. Come on, I'm hungry. By the way, did you and Abby find something?"

"One name. Shawn. The albums were extremely organized with comments and dates but she only happened to write nothing but Shawn"

"Ironic"

"Very. Hey, could you give me a ride home first? I need to get some more stuff"  
"Geez, Kate. I need to buy you a wardrobe"  
"No protest here"

They laughed as they walked for the elevator. A while later, she was dropped off after telling him she would take her car over to his place with the argument; "We may need them".

When she entered her apartment it immediately felt empty. She walked into the bedroom and her neatly made bed that hadn't been touched in weeks. She wouldn't be surprised if most of her stuff were covered in a layer of dust. Opening her closet she realised there wasn't much left in there. Grabbing the two last work suits, two pairs of jeans and several shirts, she quickly emptied it. She wandered through her apartment, amazed by how impersonal it was. There was gaps in her bookcase, empty drawers and even the walls was empty since she'd brought a few framed photos to Tony's place. No, this wasn't home anymore. Throwing it all down in a bag, she was out the door within ten minutes. It even felt strange to drive. Tony'd driven to work every day. She was shocked by how quickly the two of them had fallen into a domestic routine that didn't seem unfamiliar at all. _Geez, Kate. You've got it bad. _

Fifteen minutes later she dragged her bag up the stairs to the third floor in Tony's building. She couldn't wait until she got to just collapse on his couch, it had been a long day. She kicked on the door since her hands were full. But she was completely shocked as she was met by a woman's face. She had long, dark hair and sparkling eyes. She was in her mid-twenties and casually wore a pair of jeans and a hooded sweatshirt.

"Um…hi" Kate managed to get out. The woman eyed her for a moment before her face split up in a huge, warm smile. "You're Kate, aren't you?" And for once, Kate was speechless. _Who the hell was this? _

_**First chapter done. Was it good? Does it seem boring? Want to know who the mysterious woman is? Press the cute little button down there, and maybe you'll find out. Thanks for reading:)**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**The second chapter has landed. Sorry for the delay and for this short chapter, suffered minor WB! This chapter takes place right were the last one ended. I usually don't do that but now I made an exception for a minor cliffhanger. I hope it was good. Thank you all for your reviews. Soon you'll find out who this mysterious woman is and I'll try to not make the characters OOC! I also have plans on letting McGee have a few more lines and appearances since he can be really funny. **__**Thanks again for the reviews and don't forget to review this chapter too:**D _

**Dedication: **This chapter is dedicated to Donald P Bellisario for creating such an amazing show (at least the two first seasons) In the dictionaries, under the word "creator of brilliant sexual tension", there should be a picture of DPB!

* * *

**Chapter 2**

After a few moments of silence, the woman spoke. "Oh, sorry. Come in" she stepped aside and let Kate enter. Still both confused and shocked Kate stepped in and kicked off her shoes, dropping her bag on the floor in the process.

"I'm Danielle, but everyone call me Danni. Wow, it's great to meet you. Tony has been bragging about you since I got here" Kate nodded and smiled politely, not really knowing what to say. _Secret girlfriends aren't usually friendly…_Kate mused, still slightly ashamed that she actually believed this about him but from what she knew, Tony didn't have a sister…so who the hell was this?!

"Not to be rude, but may I ask…who you are?" Kate said tentatively. Danni didn't look offended at all and was just about to reply when Tony's voice was heard from the kitchen. Apparently he was talking to someone.

"Come on, let's see who was by the door" he said happily and a few moments later Tony appeared in the doorway with a little girl on his shoulders. He smiled widely as he spotted Kate.

"Hey" he said softly and didn't seem to find it awkward to step up and give her a quick kiss. _Okay, so maybe not a second girlfriend…_

The girl on his shoulders gently tapped him on the head to get his attention. A nonchalant gesture, which made Kate grin. She actually reminded her a lot of Tony. _This couldn't be Tony's kid…right? _

"Tony, who's that?" she asked innocently, peering down at Kate. "I'm Ella. Who are you?" she asked. Kate smiled, this girl wasn't very shy. Another quality she saw in Tony. _So…this is creepy…She did call him Tony though…_

"Hi, Ella. I'm Kate" she managed to get out.

"Oh!" a look of recognition flashed over the little girl's face. "Tony told me about you. He showed me pictures." Ella said with a smile. Now Kate turned her gaze to Tony, giving a slightly desperate but subtle message that she would really like to know who these people were.

"Kate, this is Danni, she's… kind of my little sister. And this little hooligan is her daughter, my goddaughter, Ella" Tony said proudly. Kate eyed him. He'd never said anything about a sister not even a…kind of-sister. But now when she watched Ella more closely, she remembered. She'd seen part of a photo in one of Tony's drawers once. She'd only seen a pair of auburn pigtails and one eye. But there was no doubt that this was the same girl. As she'd read her mind, Danni spoke.

"Tony's family took me in… when I was little. We kind of lost contact when he left for college and I moved out" Kate nodded; the slight jealousy she'd felt had quickly evaporated.

"Come on, Ella. Let's give Tony a minute to talk to Kate, okay?" Danni said and lifted her child off Tony's shoulders and then disappeared into the guestroom where Kate had lived only a few months ago.

"That was…surprising" Kate said when the door closed behind them.

"Jealous, Katie?" he teased.

"I was not"

"You were…"

"Was not"

"Was too"

"Ugh, not again, DiNozzo! Seriously…" she said, once again reminded about the fact that even if they were dating, the banter and their verbal battles weren't gone. Far from gone…

"I'm sorry, Kate. I didn't know she would show up and…I didn't tell you about her because…she's been in, you know…trouble and I haven't really seen her for years so…" he looked very uncomfortable and Kate could tell there was some not so pleasant history behind this and she didn't want to push it.

"Hey, I understand" Kate interrupted softly, sensing his discomfort and moved closer, locking her arms around his waist. Immediately he drew her closer.

"I knew you would. You always seem to do" he said, looking at her lovingly. Slowly, his head fell to kiss her lips. "Your apartment empty now?" he asked teasingly as he spotted the bag she'd brought.

"Pretty much, yeah" It felt like it was ages ago when Kate stood in the same foyer with her bags by her feet, realising that she would actually live with Tony DiNozzo for a few days. Now, she practically lived there full time, but it didn't bother her at all.

"Where does she live?" Kate now asked, referring to Danni.

"At the moment, Boston. She's been moving a lot. I was ten when she moved in… and it was very strange in the beginning" he said.

"Yeah, I can understand that" she said. "But you're pretty close huh?" She'd seen how proud Tony was when he was talking about them and how happy he seemed to be with them there.

"Yeah…I guess we are. I think you'll really like her"

Kate smiled. "I couldn't help but notice how much alike you and Ella were" Tony smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, people tell us that all the time. But I guess it's true" he shrugged. "I may have taught her a trick or two"

"Figured, I feel bad for Danni. So, how long is she staying?" Kate had sensed that Tony didn't want to hang out Danni's past so she switched subject. Briefly she saw relief flash across Tony's face and knew she'd done the right thing.

"I…don't know. It's the 4th in a week so I guess at least until then. Hope you don't mind"

"Why would I? She's your sister!"

Tony smiled. She understood.

---

That night Tony made dinner and Kate soon understood that Danni was a lot like Tony. They both avoided talking about their pasts and Kate got the feeling that Danni knew what and why Tony held back so much, but it didn't bother her at all. For being six years old, Ella seemed to have a pretty fair view of the world and didn't seem to be shy at all, and she had a lot to add in their conversations.

"What did you do at work today, Tony?" Ella asked and poked around in her food, spearing a piece of chicken on her fork. She scrutinized it for a moment before popping it into her mouth.

"Actually, we went to an amusement park"

"What?" Ella's eyes widened and Kate hid her smile. "You did? Did they have any cool rides? Did you puke, Tony?" Now they all laughed, before Tony replied.  
"We worked on a case outside an amusement park in Virginia"

"What is it called? Have I been there? Can I go there?"

"King's Dominion" Tony replied.

"I wanna go, Tony! Please? Mom, please?" her eyes averted between the adults. Tony chuckled. Her exuberance didn't go unnoticed by Kate, who shot a very teasing smirk at him.

"We'll see about that" Danni said with a smile. She knew Tony had a weak spot for Ella and eventually the little girl would get it the way she wanted it.

The rest of the meal was spent talking and Kate found out that Tony was right. Danni was a warm person, always having a witty comment on the way, just like Tony. After dinner, Ella took off to play and Danni followed to make sure she didn't do anything stupid, but not before being reassured that Tony and Kate could handle the dishes.

"Sure? Okay, thanks for the dinner, bro" she said and left.

Tony and Kate cleared the table in silence, easily moving around in the small kitchen. "Tony?" Kate said sincerely.

"Yeah?"

"If she hadn't showed up…would you have told me?" she wondered. She knew it was a very sensitive subject but she wanted him to know that he could confide in her. Trust was important. He shrugged. "To be honest, Kate. I don't know…" he said. "Probably not" he added then, turning away quickly. He did trust her but some things he wasn't comfortable to talk about. He pretended to be busy, drying the plates when he felt her hand on his shoulder, gently spinning him around.

"It's okay" he smiled a small smile hugged her to him. "Thank you, Kate"

_**You were really good at guessing. This story is actually inspired a bit from reality. When I was little, two boys lived here with us on the weekends. It was fun, I still see them sometimes and I almost consider them as my siblings. And I thought it was good inspiration for this story. Anyway, I apologise if it was OOC. For every line I write, I try to picture the character actually saying it so… And sorry for the extremely bad ending but I couldn't figure out to end this chapter. I hope the next one will be MUCH better. Please review!**_


	3. Chapter 3

**_And the third chapter is here! Thank you all for your wonderful review. That's what keep an author going! That, and a wonderful substance called coffee. Anyway, this chapter is going to have a pretty short Danni POV in the beginning. Please review!!_**

**Dedication:** Chapter dedicated to Jos. Welcome home from Torquay:D I hope you had a good time despite the rain and that your brain isn't too infected by dr Who-stuff. Good to have you back :D

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Being a night person, Danni was still awake as Tony and Kate went to bed. She sat on the extra bed Tony had put in, flipping through the scrapbook she always brought with her. It hurt to see the gap of several years, when she had barely taken one single photo at all. No articles from newspapers, poems, nothing. Quickly she flipped back to the first pages. Childhood pictures. A ten-year-old Tony, dressed as a sailor. She made a mental note to show that one to Kate someday.

The first things she'd noticed when she arrived today, was that Tony had changed. She'd noticed the shoes, coats and scarves in the foyer that could only belong to a woman, then the magazines in the living room. A teasingly raised brow was what it took to make Tony spill. But she was glad for him. She knew about his short relationships that could barely be defined as relationships but the way he'd talked about Kate…It made her feel warm inside. Tony deserved someone like her. He deserved the happy ending for all he'd done for her in the past.

A small tear trickled down her cheek. She still felt so guilty for what she'd put him through, more than once. But he'd been there for her, no matter what. When they were kids, when Ella was born, when she ended up in trouble more than twice. She doubted Kate knew about their whole history. But she wished he would tell her. Kate deserved to know. Even if it was a many years with painful memories, Tony had to share it with somebody and if Danni got to choose and guess, it would be Kate.

--

The next morning, Tony was woken up by a very odd feeling around his feet. Slipping away from the wonderful fog of sleep, Tony identified the feeling as someone tugging at his toe. Ella. He sighed and slowly moved to sit up. As expected, he was met by Ella's bright smile and sparkling eyes.

"Morning" she quipped. Tony glanced at the clock on his bedside table. 6:09.

"Why are you up so early?" he groaned. His alarm wouldn't go off until seven, plus a few hits on the snooze button. He felt Kate stir beside him.

"Tony? What are you doing?"

"Ella's here"

"Oh…" Kate mumbled and then sunk back onto the pillow. Ella giggled and crawled across the bed and settled herself cross-legged on Tony's stomach. He put his hands behind his head and peered up at the girl.

"Is your mom up?"

"Nope"

"Then why are you up?"

Ella shrugged. "Why aren't you getting up?"

"I don't have to yet"

"Do you and Kate have to work?"

"Yep"  
"Why can't you go shopping with me and mom? Please Tony!" she lay down on his chest and snaked her tiny arms around his neck. "Please, Tony!" he chuckled.

"Then Gibbs would be mad at us"

"Who's Gibbs?"

"Our boss"

"What's he like?"

"He use to be a marine, he drinks a lot of coffee and builds a boat in his basement"

"Cool" Ella said and shifted around on his chest. She turned her face towards Kate's sleeping form.

"Aren't you going to wake up Kate?"

Tony glanced at his alarm clock and then at Kate. "Maybe I should…" Gently, he reached out his hand and shook her shoulder. "Katie? Wake up"

"Stop it" she mumbled.

"It's almost seven"

"Hmpf…two more minutes"

Ella giggled. "I'm going to wake up mom" Quickly, she jumped off Tony and disappeared out the door.

"Katie?"

"Do not call me Katie" she shifted onto her back and managed a sleepy glare, which only made Tony laugh.

"Aww, but I like calling you Katie"  
"Shut up and leave me alone"

"No"

"DiNozzo, please!" she groaned into her pillow. Finally, Tony gave up and placed a soft kiss on her neck before leaving the room. Out in the hallway, he noticed that the door to the guest room was slightly ajar. Peeking inside, he spotted Danni's sleeping form under the covers. Apparently, Ella was the only morning person in this household, he mused and yawned.

Suddenly, he heard a noise from the kitchen and quickly went to see what was going on.

"Hey, get down" he called out as he spotted Ella, standing on the counter, going through the cupboards. She'd dragged a chair over to the counter and without fuss, climbed up.

"I'm hungry"

"You could have asked for help"

"Mom said no, and you were waking up Kate"

"Get down, and I'll fix breakfast"

"I want cereal" she stated, determined, as she jumped down and dragged the chair back to the table.

--

Danni joined them a few minutes later, just moments before Kate.

"Mommy, are we still going shopping today?"

"Sure"  
"Tony said that he and Kate have to work" Ella said and poked around in her bowl, smashing the cereal with the spoon.

"Someone has to catch the bad guys" Danni replied with a smile. Both Kate and Tony chuckled. At the moment, their hunt for bad guys involved trying to track down a mentally ill brother and another unknown man.

"The bad guys can wait" Ella said.

"But Tony likes to play the hero" Danni said. "Remember when I told you about when he was little and…"

"Hey there" Tony interrupted. "That's need to know" he protested but it had gotten Kate curious.

"What did he do?" she asked. Danni smirked. "Tony wanted to be a superhero, he used to put on his Superman costume and jump from the front porch, imagining that he was flying"

Kate turned to Tony, laughing. "Really?" he blushed slightly and shrugged.

"Aww, how cute" Kate remarked and patted his shoulder, still laughing.

Suddenly Ella's face snapped up. "Can I buy a pet?"

"A pet?"

"Like a dog or something"  
"A shi tzu maybe?" Tony suggested and wiggled his eyebrows in Kate's direction, getting revenge at her for laughing at his Superman story _and _he knew that the reminder of that prank always made her annoyed. Kate just glared; the prank he'd pulled on her last year was not even close to be forgotten.

"Ella, you know that landlord said no" Danni replied.

"I hate him" Ella said grumpily and pushed away her bowl. The rest of the meal was spent with Ella, trying to convince her mom to talk to their landlord and then tried to get Tony and Kate over to her side, which failed. But Kate could tell that Tony had a hard time saying no to Ella. After breakfast, Danni took Ella to get ready for their day out while Tony and Kate prepared for another day of searching through databases. Yes, catching bad guys could be so much fun sometimes…

--

At the NCIS headquarters, the air conditioner was on full blast. Probably to keep people like Kate from going postal, Tony thought. His comment had earned him an elbow in the ribs before stepping off the elevator. Gibbs glared at them when he saw Kate stalk out, Tony trailing behind her, apparently trying to apologise. But he kept quiet. As McGee arrived, he and Tony begun to search for their mysterious guy Shawn, while Kate desperately once again tried to locate the brother, Lucas. Around eleven, Gibbs got a call from Ducky and left.

"This sucks" Kate exclaimed as she hung up her phone for what felt like the hundredth time that morning. "People just can't disappear like that" She got up to stretch her legs and sighed. "Parents are dead, no next of kin listed and closest relative is a cousin in Alaska!" she groaned in frustration and earned amused looks from both Tony and McGee as she paced the bullpen.

"Why are you smiling? You don't have anything on your guy either" she snapped.

"But we have _no _idea where to look, so Gibbs doesn't expect that much from us. You on the other hand, have Lucas' location from two months ago" Tony smirked.

"But! That can also mean that Gibbs _does _expect more from us, just because we have…nothing" McGee reasoned.

"Exactly" Kate agreed and glared at Tony. "So you, better start typing"

Still chuckling, Tony shook his head at her and lazily read through a few files as he simultaneously IM:ed Abby.

--

Four stories down, Gibbs was on his way to see Ducky. This case already made him frustrated. Unidentified guy on a few pictures, a missing mentally ill brother and no listed relatives on the East Coast. His short talk with her CO yesterday, when the others had left, hadn't provided anything new to the case. She'd been lonely, dedicating her life to her work. Briefly, Gibbs wondered if he had a next of kin listed on his records. Probably not. He knew that McGee had his sister, Abby her family in New Orleans and Kate had Tony. At least as emergency contact and it wouldn't surprise him if he was listed as next of kin as well. Gibbs wasn't very happy with the fact that Tony and Kate's intentions were to hide their relationship from him. And why the hell was he listening to Jen's advice, about leaving them alone? Why hadn't he simply just confronted them yet?

The elevator came to a halt and he stepped out and through the double doors, into Autopsy.

"Ah, Jethro. I've finished the autopsy. Nothing I haven't seen before I'm afraid. Trauma to the head, causing massive blood loss"

"Hit unconscious and left to die?" Gibbs simplified.

"I'm afraid so…No sign of sexual activity either…Time of death is estimated around twelve to eighteen hours before she was found, around ten pm, I would say. I'm sorry, Jethro, there wasn't much to go on."

Gibbs sighed. "It's not your fault, Duck" The older man eyed him suspiciously.

"But something else is bothering you" it was a statement, not a question. Gibbs sunk down on the slab, while Ducky remained standing. Gibbs wasn't the kind of man to spill his thoughts, seeking advice. He'd never seen any purpose of it. But Ducky _was _his friend, and he knew both Kate and Tony.

"Something is up between Tony and Kate" he finally said and Ducky only looked confused.

"Everything alright?"

Gibbs contemplated whether to tell Ducky or not. After all, he had no proof that could confirm his suspicions. But he didn't want to lie to, or worry Ducky.

"They're together"

"Caitlin and Anthony? Well, I can't say that it surprises me. But how do you know?"

"Gut feeling"  
"Ah! So you're not certain. And why does this bother you?"

"Duck, it's dangerous and they know it" Ducky eyed him wistfully. "You're worried they'll get hurt" At this, Gibbs stayed silent. "They think I don't know. They've been lying to me for months…" he muttered.

"They separate personal from professional" Ducky said, using Gibbs' own argument against him. "And they're not lying to you. They just want it all to work"

Gibbs nodded. Ducky was right. It had gone more than two years before they'd even begun to spend time outside of work. He figured that the plague and Ari's case had made it all much more personal, making them realise that sometimes work was personal.

Now, he stood to leave. "Thanks, Ducky" he muttered and quietly exited the room, leaving the ME to smile good-naturedly after him.

Up in the bullpen, he found his agents working silently. Kate on the phone, trying to patiently call every mental institution in the area. Even Tony seemed wrapped up in his task. Around one pm, Tony, Kate and McGee came back from lunch, meeting Gibbs on the parking lot. "McGee, come with me. A break in was reported in the petty officer's apartment. Local PD have him. Come on" he explained curtly, diving into the sedan and starting the engine before McGee had even reached the door on the passenger's side. Gibbs sped out of the parking lot, leaving Tony and Kate to look after them.

"You think McGee will enjoy the ride?" Tony grinned and made Kate smile. "I don't care. We just got a lead on the case"

"Could that possibly, earn me a kiss?" he smiled sweetly.

"Nice try"

"Aw, Katie. There's not a living soul here, unless the cars are Transformers, which I doubt"

"We have a deal. Work is work. Come on, let's go inside. The heat is killing me" she made an attempt to walk towards the entrance but was stopped by Tony's hand on her shoulder, pulling her back to him, putting less than two inches between their faces. "Please, Katie" he whispered against her lips. Even if it was tempting, Kate tried not to give in. This was what they'd agreed _not _to do.

"Tony, we can't" she slipped out of his grasp and made a dash for the doors, while hearing Tony sigh after her.

"You so owe me, Todd" he called after her as she stalked towards the entrance. Kate just raised her hand and made a dismissive gesture at him without turning around. Tony sighed again. This was going to be a long afternoon.

--

Roughly two hours later, Gibbs and McGee returned. At the sound of the elevator dinging, both Kate and Tony looked up, only to see Gibbs smile as he led a tall, guilty looking guy in his thirties, by the shoulder through the bullpen, hands securely cuffed behind his back.

"Look who we found" Gibbs smirked. Kate and Tony exchanged a somewhat relieved glance. It was Shawn. Still leading Shawn by the shoulder, Gibbs left the bullpen and walked for Interrogation.

"Probie, explanation" Tony demanded immediately.

"Uhm…the officer who was watching the apartment went for lunch and when he came back…the door was open and someone was moving around inside. They…got him when he tried the fire escape"

"Gibbs shot that poor officer?" Kate guessed. McGee shrugged. "Pretty much, yeah"

"Poor guy" Tony exclaimed.

"Nah, he was fine" Gibbs said as he suddenly appeared in the bullpen, startling the agents as always.

"He tried to break into petty officer Gordon's apartment. Why?" McGee wondered out loud. Gibbs eyed him. "That's why God invented Interrogations" Tony replied before Gibbs had a change. He actually smiled at Tony's answer as he grabbed the case file from his desk and headed back towards Interrogation, all three agents trailing behind him

--

"My money's on that guy" Tony stated as they took their places in the observation room.

"My money's on that you're wrong and that I'll win this non existing bet" Kate deadpanned sarcastically, Tony giving her an equally sarcastic look back.

"Funny, Kate" then they both fell silent as Gibbs had begun to speak on the other side of the glass.

"Shawn Meyers…Have you ever heard about a lawyer from the DA's officer trespassing a possible crime scene? Nah, me neither. So what the hell were you doing there?" Gibbs first spoke calmly only to raise his voice significantly at the last sentence. Seeing Shawn winced at Gibbs' sudden change of tone, made the agents in observation laugh.

Shawn nervously twisted his hands and tried to avoid Gibbs icy glare. "Look, sir. I…heard about it and thought…that I should look if it was true. When I saw the officer there, I knew it was and…"

"Don't call me sir" Gibbs said sternly. "And?"

"I…panicked"

"Why? Regret what you did?"

"Wha…- You think _I _killed Alana?!"

"See you two were on first name basis…"

"We were together for five years, and you think I killed her?" Shawn was almost screaming now.

"You still haven't told med what you were doing there?"

"I panicked! I'm a lawyer at the DA's office and being brought up in a murder investigation isn't that good, you know. I was…looking for stuff that could tie me to her…"

"So breaking into an apartment, a possible crime scene, was better?"

"I panicked, freaked, as in had no idea what I was doing!"

"He's loosing it. Gibbs will have a confession soon" Tony said.

"Please, DiNozzo! He's just freaking because Gibbs is interrogating him. Have you ever been interrogated by Gibbs?" Kate turned to him, challenging her with her eyes, recalling how Gibbs had questioned her about Ari, in the coffee shop a few years ago. She still had it fresh in memory and knew how Shawn must be feeling in the small room.

"Where were you Monday night between ten and ten thirty pm?"

Shawn sighed, almost in relief. "I was at a friend's bachelor party. A dozen of people can verify that for you.

"We'll check"

"Fine" Shawn said, apparently gaining confidence, knowing he had an alibi.

"I loved her, and I did _not _kill her!"

"Keep yourself available. We'll have more questions" and with that Gibbs exited the room, leaving Shawn to stare blankly at his hands.

"Still think it was him, Tony?" McGee said, turning to Tony.

"Probie, you never heard the words "rehearsed" or maybe something like "good actor"?"

McGee sighed as Kate and Tony left the room, now arguing about their bet.

* * *

_**Finally, the third chapter finished. How was it? Was Gibbs OOC? It's extremely hard to write Gibbs… Boring? Please please review and I'll try to post faster :) **_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Here it is, the fourth chapter. It won't contain anything on the case. Mostly Tateness (but not too much), TonyKate humor and Ella cuteness. I thought we all needed a break from murder, blood and forensic science. And many of you wonder what Serendipity means. Taken from Wikipedia:" Serendipity is the effect by which on accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely" Sounds pretty fair right:P**_

_**And oh, one more thing for all the British, American and Aussie readers; do you always wear your shoes indoors?? On TV and in movies, Americans (and British and Aussies) always wear their shoes indoors. Do you? If you do, isn't that very uncomfortable?? Especially in the winter? Well well, that was just something I thought of last night. Now read and please please, drop off a review!! Keeps me motivated you know…**_

**Dedication: **This chapter is dedicated to J.K Rowling, for finally finishing the Harry Potter series. I finished the seventh book this morning. Awesome book!

* * *

**Chapter 4**

The way back to Tony's apartment, later that afternoon, was spent in comfortable silence. After interrogating Shawn, Gibbs had been uncharacteristically cheery and had let them leave before five. It was still extremely hot outside, so besides the air conditioner on full blast, Tony now rolled down his window, which made Kate break the silence.

"No, Tony. I'll get headache"

"That's why God invented aspirin"

"Please, you have to stop saying that's why God invented…´It's annoying!"

"So, you don't believe in God? You find him annoying?"

"Tony, don't start…-"

"No, wait" he interrupted. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't _you _spend twelve years in Catholic school?"

"God has nothing to do with this. I'm tired of hearing you say that"

"That's why God invented earplugs" Tony teased. This was one of the things he enjoyed the most in their relationship; that the banter and the teasing was still a lot of fun. If not even more funny than before.

"DiNozzo!"

"Okay, okay"

They rode in silence for a minute before Tony spoke again. "But on the other hand…God _was _pretty naughty when he invented those sexy little skirts you wear" he grinned. "And Katie, you never told me if you kept yours" Kate was about to send him a death glare back, when she changed her mind and instead smiled sweetly. _Two could play this stupid game…_

"Tony, you do know that God also invented Sig Sauers, sexual harassment summons, impotence _and _former Secret Service agents with _two_ Sigs and a Smith & Wesson in their possession? Right?" she said, knowing that she'd caught him off guard. Threats and sexual references in the same sentence made alarm bells ring in Tony's head.

"Um, no. You never mentioned that. You have a Smith & Wesson?"

".357 caliber. Birthday present from a couple of Secret Service buddies"

"Oh…"

"But you are aware of that, right?" she tried to hide the grin that was threatening to show.

"Kate, did I tell you how beautiful you are, this morning?" Tony tried and kept his eyes on the road to avoid Kate's stare, which unnoticed by him, was triumphant smirk.

"Do you wanna know why I thank God every day?"

"Cause you have a extremely good-looking boyfriend?" he dared to say, when he realised that Kate hadn't slapped him for his earlier comments.

"What an ego! No! You don't wanna know?"

"Well, enlighten me"

"He gave _all _men an extremely…exposed weak point" her eyes drifted down teasingly to his groin and then back up to his eyes. Tony quickly averted his gaze back to the road. "I forgot to tell you that you're beautiful, didn't I?"

Kate let out a small laugh, then leaned over and placed a brief kiss below his ear.

"I won't do it, Tony. I wouldn't gain anything on it…more likely loose, right?" she whispered, and a grin appeared on Tony's face.

"You're so right, Katie"

"I know" Kate said cheerfully and sat back in her seat.

The rest of the ride was spent in companionable silence, no words needed.

--

As Kate and Tony came through the door, Ella immediately approached them, happily bouncing up and down.

"Tony! Kate! Come and see what mommy bought for me. Come on!" They had barely taken off their shoes before Ella had grabbed them by the hand and dragged them towards the kitchen. Danni stood by the stove, cooking dinner and Tony greeted her by tugging at her ponytail. Then he noticed what Ella was trying to show him.

"You bought her _a goldfish_?" he stared at the clear glass bowl and the small, orange, scaly creature, swimming in circles. Ella sat on a stool by the bar, looking fondly at her new pet.

"Well, would you prefer having a dog here?"

"No, but…Whatever. So, peanut, does he, she, whatever, have a name?" Tony said and sat on the stool next to Ella to examine the fish closer.

"I wanted a Nemo, but they were too expensive."

"No way I would pay 1400 bucks for a fish!" It came from Danni. Tony chuckled. "I have no idea what to name him thought. Cause it is a boy"

"What about…Pat?" Kate suggested and stood behind Tony, hands resting on his shoulders. Tony grinned, immediately catching what had become "their" joke.

"Hm…Pat. Yeah, sounds cool" Ella smiled, still completely engrossed by her pet. "The nice lady in the pet store said that they breathe through their cheeks"

"Yeah, really? Cool, huh?" Tony agreed enthusiastically, earning one of Ella's dazzling smiles back.

Kate smiled gently at how quickly he changed around Ella, completely focusing on her. She stood on the sideline, closely observing how Tony interacted with her, and once again became fascinated by the things she didn't know about him.

After dinner, Ella managed to tear herself from Pat's bowl to decide that they should watch a movie before bedtime. With popcorn of course. She examined Tony's huge movie collection and finally chose Happy Feet.

"Oh, the one with Mumble, right?" Kate said. After Tony had compared himself to Mumble months ago, he'd bought the movie to show Kate what he meant. Kate had found it was a way for him to tell her about his past, even if it was through a kids' movie. At the end, she'd almost been crying at the thought of Tony feeling like that. Even thinking about it now, made her swallow hard and firmly lace fingers with him.

Ella had inserted the disc and easily pressed a few buttons on the remote control and the image appeared on the screen. Danni returned from the kitchen with a huge bowl of buttered popcorn that Ella immediately snatched from her mom and placed in her own lap. Halfway through the movie, Ella had fallen asleep and Danni carried her to her room, then came back to announce that she was going to bed as well, after short good nights, Tony and Kate continued to watch the movie.

"I still can't believe you…was like Mumble" Kate said in a low voice, intently focusing on the screen. Having emotional conversations with Tony was twice as hard if she looked him in the eye. It was unfamiliar for her to have such conversations at all, and with Tony it was much harder, it made her uncomfortable but she didn't really know why.

"It was a long time ago, Kate" Tony said sincerely and shrugged.

"You know that psychologist say that things that happen to us in our early childhood, even before we're born, will affect us through our whole life" she stated, remembering the article she'd read while studying psychology to become a profiler.

"Maybe so…" he said shortly and Kate understood that he didn't want to talk about it anymore.

They finished the movie in silence, Kate unconsciously squeezing Tony's hand when Mumble was being ordered away by his father. The similarity was scaring. As the plot lightened up, Kate loosened her grip but didn't let go, and she smiled faintly when Mumble finally got to dance with the girl of his dreams. As the credits rolled, Kate yawned.

"Tired?" Tony asked gently and ran a hand through her hair. Kate nodded as she untangled herself from Tony and left to get ready for bed, while Tony turned off the TV.

"That's shouldn't be a kids movie" Kate stated as she heard Tony enter behind her back.

"Maybe not. But I like kids movies. They have happy endings…give hope" he said with a shrug and changed into his pyjama pants.

"I still think it's too brutal" Kate said as she neatly folded her clothes and placed them on the chair that served as wardrobe. "Seriously, Tony. I need somewhere to store my stuff"

"It seems to be under control" he said and nodded towards the neat piles of clothes both under and on top of the chair.

"They'll get dusty. I have a 800 dollar suit on your bedroom floor!"

"You could move into the closer but you have way too much clothes" he said and slid down under the covers. Kate still stood by the chair and glared at hit for a moment before joining him. She resisted first but then allowed him to pull her closer. He had to understand that she wouldn't forgive _that _easily all the time.

"Tony, you will buy me a drawer or something this weekend"

"Whatever…We'll see" he muttered sleepily.

"Yeah, cause….I don't want to ruin my old school uniform" she said and buried her face in the crook of his neck, to hide her smirk. She knew Tony was wide-awake, gaping and staring down at the back of her head.

"Really? You kept it? You can still _wear _it?" with each word his hope climbed another notch. But Kate just pretended to be asleep.

**_So, how was it? Please please review! First, yes you can get headache by rolling down the window in the car, I've done it and it sucks. No, I don't know how much a Nemo fish costs, it was just a plain guess, and Jos, yes, and your obsession by popcorn just had to be a part of the story. I feel the story is slipping farther and farther away from Old Habits Die Hard. The style is not the same and I hope it's not bothering you. Soon, I'll give up on the fluffiness, there's angst to come! And btw, sorry that this chappie was kinda…short and slow :P_**

**_Hope you all liked it and now review:D_**


	5. Chapter 5

_**You have no idea how sorry I am for being this slow with this update! I hope I didn't loose your interest too much. Please be nice to me and read anyway! But now, I've finally finished this chapter and I hope it's good. A bit casefile and also, actually a bit angst... Anyways, please review! If you want to, you can tell me how much I suck at updating! **_

_**AN 2: To make it up to you, this chapter is a rather long one ;)**_

**Dedication: **This chapter is dedicated to **The Fray** for their wonderful song _How to save a life_ that I'll never get tired of.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

It was with slight reluctance, that Kate and Tony left for work the next morning. It was raining hard outside, which only made you want to curl up on the couch with a book or a movie. Which was exactly what Danni and Ella had planned. Danni also intended to update her scrap book which had resulted in Tony's kitchen table being covered with post its, photos and news paper articles. Ella was seated on the couch with a plate of chocolate chip cookies, a pile of animated movies and Pat in his bowl on the coffee table.

The ride to HQ was silent, as Tony's complete focus was on the road and Kate knew better than to disturb him. She was grateful for the rain though. The air wasn't so heavy anymore and the heat had subsided which would make it slightly easier to work.

--

Gibbs didn't seem that cheery, though. As Kate stepped off the elevator (she'd won the coin flip, so Tony would have to wait today), she immediately noticed that Gibbs' grumpy mood had returned. He briefly nodded a good morning and went back to drinking his coffee. As agreed, Tony came into sight eleven minutes later. Gibbs and McGee barely acknowledged him, neither did Kate but only to not make Gibbs suspicious.

After working in silence for a while, Gibbs spoke up "Shawn's alibi checked out" _Ah, so that was the reason to his grumpy face. _

"So we're back on square one" McGee stated, earning him a glare from Gibbs, who then sighed. "I guess it does"

Kate's mood fell slightly as well. The only suspect on the case apparently had an iron clad alibi. Jealous ex boyfriends were usually a safe but apparently not now.

"We have to find her wacko of a brother"

"Think he killed her?" McGee asked carefully. Gibbs rolled his eyes. "But if he didn't, he should know that his sister is dead, don't you think?"

McGee nodded numbly and mumbled something inaudible. Kate once again picked up her phone and the long list of numbers where she might find the slightest trace of Lucas Gordon. Tony and McGee, who automatically completed their task when Shawn was arrested, reluctantly helped Kate with her never-ending list.

The morning was spent making numerous phone calls, at least for Tony, Kate and McGee. Gibbs on the other hand, flipped through old files, went for coffee and bribed Abby with Caf-Pow to go through all the physical evidence once again. Gibbs later did the same with Ducky, except the bribing. The ME voluntarily agreed to go over the body again for a double-check. As he left Abby's lab, after successfully convincing her, he walked into Jen in the hall. "You've made any progress on your case?"

"Not really" he said curtly. He _was _rather reluctant to talk to her. She had an advantage over him, both by being director and by him following her advice to leave Tony and Kate alone.

"Anything I can do?" she asked.

"Unless you can pull a specific mad man out of a hat, no" Jen smiled slightly at Gibbs' sarcastic humor. He never changed…She decided to switch topic.

"Caught your agents yet?"

He ignored her question. "Come on. Jethro. I know it's bothering you"

"Then, why ask?" he raised his eyebrows at her.

"They're working for me as well. I'm curious, and since you spend more time around them…" Gibbs simply shot her and exasperated look, but she didn't drop it. Gibbs sighed.

"See, it does bother you. And I'm glad you have sense enough to leave it alone" With that she turned left and disappeared down a corridor. Gibbs just shook his head. _Women…_

--

By noon, no progress had been made concerning the phone lists. Tony was now hanging up his twenty seventh phone call. He leaned back in his chair and stretched, thanking the greater powers that Ducky had called Gibbs down to Autopsy. "How can someone just vanish?" Tony complained. Kate smiled slightly.

"They can't, really. So keep calling DiNozzo. Maybe any of the institution will realise your mental state and lock you up" she teased. Tony gave her his best haha-that-is-so-not-funny-look, in response.

"Well, I guess not many people care about a mad lunatic, driving around the streets" McGee commented, just hanging up the phone. Kate sighed heavily and tried to gather energy and patience to once again pick up the stupid phone. That's when Gibbs stormed in, drawing all attention to him.

"We have another suspect" he stated.

"What? Why?" Kate wondered, both grateful and slightly surprised.

"Ducky went over the body again. Found hair fibres, apparently Palmer missed something. So, Abby's running it through the database"

"How do we know it's not from Shawn?" McGee wondered, asking for an answer to a question they all wanted to ask.

"We don't" was Gibbs only reply.

But even if he wasn't sure about another suspect, Gibbs let his agents go to lunch. Luckily for Tony and Kate, McGee was ordering in along with Abby, giving the pair an hour for themselves. A few blocks from the Navy Yard, the professionalism ran off and they dared to laced hands, fairly certain that they wouldn't run into any other agents. The only person, who actually knew, was Abby and after eight months of keeping quiet, they trusted her to not tell. Other than that, there was only the guy by the gates who _might _have suspicions upon seeing them arrive and leave together everyday. But they doubted he would tell Gibbs. They now had lunch at a small café, discussing everything but work. For an hour, they could relish in not being federal agents.

--

After the lunch break, three frustrated agents once again picked up their lists with phone numbers, all three thinking the same think; this wasn't how they'd imagined the law enforcement.

"Maybe he's dead, changed his name, moved to Alaska!" Tony exclaimed after hanging up once again. Both Kate and McGee's faces snapped up, Kate having an amused smile playing in the corner of her lips.

"What do you mean?" Kate wondered, wanting him to elaborate his spontaneous statement.

"Dead. As in, no longer living. New name as in no longer Lucas something or he simply moved to Alaska"

"I get that, you moron. But you must have a theory?" _Any opportunity to call him names…_

"Well…since he _was _a mad man and no one seems to know his whereabouts for the last months, maybe he's just…dead, gone"

"His file says he's alive" McGee said tentatively.

"If he went and drowned himself or something, I don't think anyone has reported him dead" Tony said, shooting the junior agent his typical duh-look.

"But as far as _we _know, he's alive and Gibbs wants us to find him!" Kate concluded.

"Kate, you're the profiler. Isn't there a big chance that he has gone to kill himself?" Tony asked innocently.

"So just because you're mentally ill, you commit suicide?"

"Pretty much, yeah"

"Phone lists, now" was Kate's firm reply and the icy glare told Tony he would pay when they got home and found it safest to do as she…well, demanded. _Geez, Gibbs has to be around more often. I can't let a _girl_ boss me around…_

That afternoon it was clear that Gibbs wasn't going to let them leave early. By six thirty they were still working and Danni had called Tony three times and Ella had called twice, wondering where they were. Tony sighed after hanging up his latest phone call with Danni.

"Why is he keeping us here?!" Tony sighed frustrated, turning to Gibbs empty chair. For the most part of the day, Gibbs had been down with Abby, supervising the search in the database. He appeared in the bullpen once in a while to make sure his agents actually was working.

"He's waiting for the test result" Kate said, yawning.

"I'm hungry" Tony whined, sounding very much like a grumpy child. "McGee, be a nice probie and get some dinner" his demand earned him a death glare from Kate. He would probably have to pay for that one, too.

"Aw, come on, McGee. I can even pay my own food!"

Regarding Tony warily for a moment, McGee gave in and stood. "Money first, food later" he said, stretching out his hand to Tony. Kate chuckled as Tony turned to her.

"Don't look at me. You're the one who teaches him all these tricks. Pay him and since you owe me half a fortune, pay for me too"

Muttering something under his breath, Tony fished out his wallet and reluctantly handed McGee some bills. McGee gave a triumphant smile and then left.

"He can't steal my tricks" Tony complained as the elevator doors had slid shut. Kate grinned. "You should be more careful, DiNozzo"

"I thought we were on first name basis, _Todd_" he said with a smirk and made his way over to her desk, perching himself on the edge.

"No, Tony"

"What? I didn't even do anything"

"But you were planning. We're at work. Knowing Gibbs, he might stand around the corner" she said in a low voice. "And, there's surveillance cameras"

"Come on, who watch those tapes anyway?" another statement that earned him a glare.

"It's good for you, you know. It's testing your patience"

"Blah blah…" Tony said, pouting. They began a slight staring competition before Kate's cell began to vibrate on her desk.

"Saved by the bell" Tony teased as she picked it up to answer.

"Yes. Seriously? Sure. Bye" she quickly ended the phone call. "We've got another suspect" she exclaimed almost happily and bounced out of her seat.

"We do?" Tony looked like a child, just being told that Santa was in fact grandpa with a beard and a pillow under his shirt.

"Yep, Gibbs wants us down in the lab. Come on!"

"What about the food?"  
"It'll have to wait. There might be a chance that we'll get home before breakfast!" she shot back as she rounded the corner. Tony wasn't late to follow.

--

"May I present mr Andrew Marsden" Abby fired at them as soon the pair entered the lab and gestured towards one of her computer screens.

"Is he related to the victim?" Tony wondered.

"We don't know yet" Abby said in her usual cheery mood even if it was late. "But, I have his phone number so maybe it's time to find out"

Without a word, Gibbs took the bright, green post it from her and burst out the room. "You're welcome, Gibbs" she said sarcastically. As Gibbs left, McGee arrived, carrying several brown paper bags.

"Good job, Probie!" Tony said, snapping a bag from him and diving in to examine its contents. It didn't seem to fit him so he went through the remaining bags until finding something he liked.

"You need to grow up, DiNozzo" Kate said with a disgusted face. Tony just shrugged off her statement and went back to his hamburger.

Gibbs came back within fifteen minutes, announcing that Andrew Marsden would be there eight am sharp, which meant seven am for his agents.

"Oh come on, Gibbs. It's almost eight pm, it's only eleven hours!" Tony whined.

"Either you're here at seven or you're unemployed. You can go home now. See you tomorrow" and then he left again.

"I bet he never sleeps" Tony stated and tossed his empty wrapper in the bin. "I'm out of here" he said and bolted out the door. Despite her eagerness to follow, Kate stayed to not raise suspicions in McGee. But five minutes later she found it safe to leave.

"See ya…" Abby said with a knowing grin, which made Kate roll her eyes.

Tony was waiting patiently by the car as Kate stepped out on the parking lot. "You took your time"

"McGee would get suspicious. God knows how many hints Abby has thrown at him"

"True. Now come on, I wanna go home" he said softly and opened his car door. The ride was silent. They were both exhausted and bothered by the case. The interrogation with Andrew Marsden tomorrow might reveal something that lead to a breakthrough in the case, which they all wanted.

They entered the apartment silently, since Ella was probably asleep. The clock showed almost nine and since the lights were off and the door to the guest room was closed, both Ella and Danni had probably called it a night. A plastic container in the fridge with a post it on it told them that there was left over's for them. Enthusiastically, Tony grabbed it.

"We just had dinner!" Kate exclaimed.

"I know" was all Tony said and popped the lid open while grabbing a fork. "I'm a man, I need food"

"Whatever. I'm going to bed, we have to get up early tomorrow" Tony just shrugged but accepted the short goodnight kiss.

"G'night" he said and Kate left.

The next morning was a Friday and as three rather tired agents stepped into the office, they could at least keep up a little hope that Gibbs would give them at least one day off this weekend. They all patiently seated themselves by their desks, waiting for the clock to strike eight. A few minutes past, Gibbs appeared, telling them that Andrew Marsden was down in Interrogation. They followed their boss and slipped into Observation as Gibbs put on his Interrogation face and entered the small room.

A man in his early thirties sat by the table, obviously being extremely nervous. He twisted his hands while his eyes averted from side to side, looking everywhere except directly at Gibbs.

"So, Andrew, let's make this quick. What's your relation to Alana Gordon?"

"Uhm you can call me Andy, everyone does" he said distantly then remembered Gibbs' question. "Alana and I…We…"

"What?" Gibbs demanded firmly, not wanting this to take more time than necessary.

"We…had a relationship…Is she really dead?"

"Here I ask the questions" Gibbs said harshly and Andrew inhaled shakily. "When did you meet her?"

"About…four months ago. One of my buddies uhm…is dating her friend. We met at a party"

Gibbs pretended to ignore him while taking notes. "When did you last see her?"

"Last week, I think. I've…been visiting my parents"

Behind the one-way glass, Tony and Kate exchanged glances. Spending time with the family was the most common excuse for an alibi. Sometimes, the family members lied, suspecting that something was wrong as federal agents showed up at their doorstep.

"I bet he did it"

"The other day you said Shawn did it"

"Changed my mind" Tony said with a shrug and after having a slight staring competition, they turned back to the investigation.

"Do you know a man by the name Shawn Meyers?"  
"Of course" Gibbs raised a brow. "He was Alana's ex" Andrew elaborated. "They were together for years"

"And she'd told you all this after only four months?" Gibbs said skeptically. Andy nodded. "We talked a lot. About…everything."

"You ever talked about her brother?"

"Lucas? Oh, yeah. Actually…that was what was bothering her" he spoke in complete sentences now, as he began to hope that he wasn't a suspect anymore.

"Tell me about their relationship"

"Oh…geez. That's a long story"

"We have time" Gibbs said curtly and Andy nodded nervously. "They had…issues. He was a few years older, took money from her to pay his for his addiction, a real type you know"

"No, I don't"

"He was a junkie, okay! Moved out when Alana was about thirteen or something. They didn't contact each other for years, he missed her graduation, everything. When her parents died, they met briefly at the funeral but she told me he didn't stay for long. Then…he called her two weeks ago, wanted to get back in touch"

"Did they?"

"I don't know. I went to see my family, she said they were going to meet that week but…I don't know really…She was reluctant to forgive for all he's done to her. She thought he just wanted more money…"

"Do you know where he was staying? Or where he might be now?"

"No…Alana said he was discharged from some institution in New York but…" he trailed off as reality seemed to hit him hard. Gibbs eyed him for a moment then got up.

"We might have more questions, we'll stay in touch" then he exited without fuss.

In Observation, Kate was shaking her head. Well, at least they got some background but they were far from solving this case.

"So he wasn't just mad, he was a junkie as well" McGee stated. Kate nodded and was about to reply when she caught a glimpse of Tony, out of the corner of her eye.

Something was wrong.

"Tony. You okay?" she asked, trying to sound indifferent so she wouldn't rise any suspicions with McGee.

"Fine" he said shortly and then left the room. McGee and Kate exchanged glances and then shrugged, following him. Up in the bullpen, Tony was busying himself with whatever task Gibbs had given him. Probably to check Andy's alibi. Kate eyed him warily as she sat down and either he didn't notice or he deliberately ignored her. She voted for the latter and that hurt. She knew that Tony always knew when she was looking.

The rest of the morning was tensed. Even McGee sense that discomfort between Tony and Kate and so did Gibbs. He knew something was up but couldn't figure out what. They'd been fine this morning. Was it just that they both were bothered by the case? Could that be it? He shook his head and continued to track down Andy's family members that could verify that he'd been with them on the night of Alana's murder.

Kate tried to get a moment alone with Tony but with both McGee and Gibbs present it was impossible. But suddenly he got up, walking towards the break room and she saw her chance. A few seconds after him, she followed, ignoring Gibbs' curious stare.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly when she entered. He had his back turned to her while he was pouring himself some coffee.

"Nothing"

"Don't give me that shit, DiNozzo. It's something about this case that's bothering you. I can't help you unless you tell me"  
"Kate, I'm fine" he snapped and Kate took a step back. He'd always confided in her, of course he had his own way of doing it but he'd always done it. Even before they were dating. What was so bad that he couldn't tell her? She asked him that and got ignored again.

"Tony, say something!" she almost pleaded now. He was hurting. Things that hurt, was the only thing that he was reluctant to talk about. If it was a dilemma or something that just bugged his mind, he would tell. But when it hurt too much, he shut down. Even towards her.

"Kate, I told you I was fine" Then he grabbed his coffee and bolted out the door, not seeing the tears Kate was desperately trying to hold back. She stared at the closed door he'd slammed shut and made a terrifying realisation.

Tony was pushing her away.

* * *

_**Taa-daa! Angst. Uh-oh you might think right now. And I'll keep you sitting on needles until the next update! As I said, this story is darker than Old Habits Die Hard. So, I'm once again sorry for the huge delay but when I found old Serendipity notes I had to continue. So, please review and forgive me for this late late late update. I hope I still have your interest with me and that you'll stay tuned in for the next chapter that WILL be up soon. Maybe even before next weekend XD **_

_**Have a nice day :D **_


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm so glad my WB is gone and that I finally got started with this again. Here is the sixth chapter. And thanks to all of you who reviewed the last chapter! Made me happy. So, this chapter takes place right after Kate's sad realisation.**

**Please read AN in the end ;)**

**Dedication: **This chapter is dedicated to my IB class for being so damn amazing :)

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Tony bit his lip after leaving the break room. He hadn't meant to snap. Kate was just worried about him. He should apologise, but then he would eventually have to explain and that was too hard. Not that Kate didn't deserve to know, it was just that he wasn't ready to tell yet. He had a lot of history, most parts sad, and voicing them out loud would hurt.

He returned to his desk, filled with regret. Would this affect their relationship? Had his sudden outburst of anger caused something he feared every day; that Kate would leave him. Cause that he knew he would certainly not be able to take. And Gibbs would probably kick his ass to Alaska if not farther, for it as well. Now he sat by his desk and picked up the short list Gibbs had given him, with the names of Andrew Meyers' family members that was there, supposedly with him, the night that Alana was killed.

Kate came back to the bullpen a few minutes later. Tony glanced up briefly but quickly turned his face down again. _Oh no…_Kate had been crying. It was hard to see but he immediately knew when she'd cried. She got small, pink flecks under her eyes that it had taken him months to notice. But now he did without problem. It made him feel guilty. Kate didn't cry easily. This was far worse than the awkwardness that had occurred last year, when they woken up and realised that they'd spent the night in the same bed, even if they were just sleeping.

Gibbs noticed as well. Tony and Kate were avoiding each other. They avoided each other's gaze, which rarely happened. Anger flared up. This was exactly why he was against interoffice dating. Since fifty percent of all marriages ended up in divorce, wouldn't the same statistics occur for dating? In his rulebook it did and hence rule number twelve. But Jen had advised him to leave them alone. _Women, they all believe in pink clouds and fairytales. _Gibbs groaned inwardly. This was the last thing he needed right now! He had a case to solve; he shouldn't have to worry about Kate and Tony's relationship. But still, he did.

--

By lunch, Kate couldn't take it anymore. She simply rose from her chair and stalked towards the elevator. She had to see Abby. For multiple reasons. Abby was the only one who knew about their relationship, she was her best friend with good advices and right now she just needed someone to talk to.

Music was blaring from the speakers and the faint sounds from her machines were heard as Kate stepped off the elevator. She entered the lab and watched Abby type away on her glowing, blue-ish keyboard.

"Kate! Hi. What are you…-" Abby muted her music and spun around and stopped mid sentence. "Whoa! Kate, what's wrong?"

"Uhm…"

"Oh no! Oh no! Don't tell me you and Tony broke up. You have to get back together. Gibbs will kill you…_I _will kill you!"

"Abs! We didn't break up"

"Oh…You didn't? Good. I mean…what's wrong then?"

"We…had a fight" Kate admitted and heavily sunk down on a chair. Abby looked at her, eyes filled with sympathy.

"Wanna tell me?"

Kate shrugged. "Something's up. I don't know if it's the case or…after interrogation he was snapping and…shut down. I tried to talk to him and…"

"He's pulling away from you"

"Yeah…and…I hate it, Abs! Something is wrong and I… I hate that he feels that he can't talk to me"

"Kate, he knows he can!"

"Then why isn't he?"

"Give him time"

Kate eyed her skeptically. The old cliché, to stay behind and wait it out. "Maybe it's my fault…"

"Don't do this, Kate" Abby said warningly. "You know that's not true" Once again Kate shrugged and Abby watched her, smiling slightly. "You two are so in love with each other" Kate blushed faintly. She'd never let her thoughts wander that far.

"Maybe…"

"Oh come on, Kate! Admit it. Even if you haven't said those three little words yet you know it's true. The fact that you've been together for more than six months says a lot"  
Kate smiled now. "Yeah…maybe" It had really been six _months_. They lived together for God's sake. She'd never thought of it like that before, how serious it was. To her, he was just… Tony and that they happened to live in the same apartment didn't strike her that often.

"Give the man some time, Kate. Show him that at least _you _won't pull away, okay?" Kate nodded.

"Okay"

"Good" Abby smiled and the two friends sat in silence for a while before Kate reluctantly returned to the tensed mood up in the bullpen.

--

Meanwhile Kate was spilling her thoughts to Abby, Gibbs and Tony made several calls to the Meyers family and indeed, Andy had been with them up in Philadelphia at the time of the murder which left them with no suspects. Of course, Gibbs always had suspects, until someone was convicted but now even he had to realise that they were running out of leads. The McKenzie case a few months back had gone cold. He still went over the files now and then but nothing. He glanced at Tony who was typing away, looking downright depressed. _Something is extremely wrong between him and Kate…Damn it! _

He stood, walking towards the staircase and ascending. In a few strides he reached the director's office and burst in without knocking of course. Cynthia was used to it by now and didn't say a thing.

"Please come in" Jen said sarcastically as Gibbs stormed through the double doors and came to stand by her desk. "It's about your agents" she later stated when she noticed the expression on Gibbs' face.

"Jethro, let it go"

"They're avoiding each other! Which will be fatal on the field, you know that!"

"You're overreacting" Jen rolled her eyes at him. It was rather amusing though, to see the straight-laced marine get so upset over his two agents dating. Gibbs and romance wasn't two words you connected that easily.

"Don't laugh, Jen!" Gibbs exclaimed as he saw the amusement in Jen's eyes. She found this _funny. _The director of NCIS found this amusing? He was puzzled, what was wrong with the world today?

"They broke the rules, months ago!"

"They're being professional at work and that's all I care about!" Jen defended her opinion.

"Yeah, so not looking at each other and not talking either is professional? It's more like high school! Middle school even"

"Jethro! Come on!" she could barely suppress her laughter.

He glared. Why didn't she understand? And why the hell was he even here, _asking _for _permission _to interfere with their issues. Leroy Jethro Gibbs never asked for permission!

"They'll figure it out. Let it be"

"I don't wanna break up my team, Jen" he said warningly.  
"And you won't" she immediately replied, voice firm. He grunted something inaudible, shot her another glare and then stormed out the way he came.

--

When Kate came back from the forensics lab, Gibbs was gone but McGee and Tony sat by their desks, typing. She tried to catch Tony's eye but he skilfully avoided her piercing gaze. Her heart sank slightly. He was really pulling away from her and it hurt. She'd never really been attached to someone like this. She was suspicious person; it came naturally with having three brothers who always pulled pranks at her and even more by her line of work. But now her mood completely depended on Tony's. It was a bit scary, to give herself away that much.

She swallowed hard to not cry again. _Geez, Kate. Get a hold of yourself. You're being silly! _She cleared her throat and typed in Lucas Gordon's name in the database once again. His record, which she almost knew by heart, showed up on the screen and she read it again to see if she had missed something, but likely, she hadn't. After reading it twice she gave up. This case wasn't going anywhere.

--

"_**The fanfiction writer is a rather common specie of homo sapiens sapiens. Often travel in groups and live off reviews. A FF writer often gets extremely motivated by receiving reviews from others individuals within the specie. A dedicated fanfiction writer produces approximately three oneshots per multi-chaptered story. FF writers often tend to produce the foundation to their masterpieces at strange hours and other FF writers do know how to show sympathy and recognition. **_

_**TheMayflower-part of the specie is currently working on the seventh chapter of the story Serendipity and is in huge need of more review to be kept motivated to bring Tate out of this downfall. The specie also promises to update very soon and of course, apologises for the shortness of the chapter and the bad treating of the precious Tate-shipping." **_

_**Sorry, couldn't help myself there…:) **_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Hey! Geez I never thought that many people would respond to chapter six since it was so short. But hey, I'm not complaining so, thanks loads for all your kind reviews. This chapter should have been up sooner but, I've had this freaking cold along with loads of homework. But now I found some spare time and what's better than spending it on fanfic writing, huh? So, again. Enjoy and please review.**_

**Dedication: **This chapter is dedicated to Johnny Depp for portraying Jack Sparrow to become the best on-screen character in history.

**Lyrics: **Send me and angel _by _Scorpions (really good song!)

* * *

**Chapter 7**

_The wise man said just find your place _

_In the eye of the storm_

_Seek the roses along the way_

_Just beware of the thorns_

_- Scorpions_

--

The team worked hard, almost desperately, to find any clue or trace of the victim's brother Lucas. But at the same time, they subconsciously processed their own issues. Kate was still wondering if Tony felt that he couldn't open up to her. Was that the truth? After all, he hadn't told her about Danni and Ella and she knew, frankly, _nothing _about his family or about his childhood. Was it because he was ashamed of something? Did he think she would think less of him if he revealed his past? She swallowed. It had been over six months. Did he really trust her the way he said?

Tony's internal battle was as doubting as Kate's. He knew they should talk. Last time, a snowball fight had solved the tensed awkwardness and Tony had silently promised to never hold back anything from Kate. She would understand. She could have yelled, ran, slapped him for not telling about Danni and Ella but she hadn't. She'd understood fully. Then why did he hesitate now?

Gibbs as well was wrestling his mind. Since when did he care about Tony and Kate's relationship? And since when did he actually listen to Jen? He constantly glanced up at Tony and Kate, wondering what the hell they had messed up this time. McGee was, for once, not caring. In his world, Tony and Kate often ended up on non-speaking terms. And in the same world, they always solved it.

--

At then pm, Gibbs had no more tasks to hand out and let his agents go. For once, both of them took their time, almost reluctantly packed their belongings. As expected, no words were exchanged and the glances were kept at minimum. The apartment was quiet and they were met by plunging darkness. Kate watched, out of the corner of her eye, as Tony kicked off his expensive Italian shoes and dropped backpack and sweated on the floor with a light thud. Suddenly a noise came from the kitchen and they both fell into special agent mode. Automatically they reached for their Sigs and Tony gently reached out his hand and pushed Kate behind him. Kate smiled slightly. His protectiveness over hadn't disappeared.

Creeping on their tiptoes, they entered the living room, glancing around the corner. When they'd identified the source of the sound, they sighed and holstered their guns. Tony reached out and hit the light switch.

"Ella! What are you doing?"

The little girl looked up from her sandwich and her face lit up. "Tony! Kate! Hi"

"Why are you up? It's almost eleven" Tony said tiredly and slumped down on the chair beside Ella.

"I was hungry" Ella stated simply and climbed onto Tony's lap and gave him a hug, then settled against his chest. She clutched the rest of her chicken sandwich in her hand, happily munching on it. Kate chuckled.

"I see that the food habits run in the family" he said but caught herself. She barely dared to glance up. Had she offended him? _God, this is ridiculous…_ It took a few good moments before she looked up.

She was shocked, or at least surprised. Tony was looking at her tenderly, like he usually did, smiling gently in her direction before looking away, and Kate felt the knot in her stomach loosen slightly.

"Ella, go back to bed" Tony said as she'd devoured the sandwich. Kate still snuck glances at him but he apparently didn't notice, or he now ignored her.

"But aww! You and Kate just got home!"

"Ella…It's late"

The girl pouted, an almost irresistible look on her face. "We'll do something tomorrow" Tony promised. "Okay?"

"Okay…Promise?"

"Promise"

"Pinky swear?" Ella demanded seriously, wiggling her little finger at him.

"Pinky swear" Tony promised, holding up his finger as well.

"Goodnight, Tony" she said and hugged him tight. Tony smiled, hugging her back. "Goodnight, sweetheart"

On her way out, Ella also waved goodbye to Kate who'd remained in the doorway. As the girl left, the mood between the two of them began to tense up again. Kate swallowed. Was he shutting down again?

She didn't feel better when Tony wordlessly got up and disappeared out from the kitchen without even a glance at her.

--

Kate took her time to flip through the newspaper, not really wanting to face Tony again. Was this what Gibbs wanted to prevent with his normally stupid rule number twelve? She tossed the paper onto the table and reluctantly went down the hall towards the bedroom. She'd heard Tony bustling around in the bathroom earlier before the door to their bedroom had shut lightly.

He was okay, right? He _had _loosened up slightly while talking to Ella, but knowing him, Kate knew he was good at facades. After all, he'd hid himself from her for almost three years. The door to what had so quickly become their bedroom was slightly ajar and after she'd shut off the lights in the hall, she pushed the door opened but lingered in the doorway.

She spotted him immediately, sitting cross-legged on the bed, head against the headboard and several photo albums spread around him. Kate knew what was coming next. The conversation she'd wanted, but never expected to have with him. She still knew very little about his childhood and got a feeling that he was about to reveal it all.

She slowly approached the bed and he looked up, his soft stare boring into hers. He wasn't shutting down. As she got closer, he stretched out his arm and Kate sank down onto his lap, curling up as if she was a little kid. Even if she claimed to be able to take care of herself and make her own decisions, she still liked the feeling of being able to let go and let someone else handle everything. Of course, this was something she'd never admit – to anyone.

Tony locked his arms around her and spoke quietly. "I…uhm, found some pictures" Kate nodded.

"You know you don't have to…" she began but he softly interrupted her. "I do, Kate" she nodded again and Tony reached for a thin album.

"That's my dad" Kate took a closer look at the picture and examined it. She immediately noticed a slight likeness between Tony and his father, but also the many differences. Mr DiNozzo's hair was darker, he didn't have lines from smiling like Tony did and his eyes were empty. They didn't hold the same spark that Tony's green orbs did. Flipping the pages, Tony fished out a photo that had been tucked between the pages.

"And that's my mom" Now Kate smiled. Here she immediately noticed a likeness. Mrs DiNozzo's eyes were alive, sparkling and her smile was bright and playful, just like Tony's. Her hair was brown, like Tony's and just from that picture; one could tell that their personalities had been similar as well.

Kate noticed Tony swallowing hard, contemplating whether to tell her more or not. "Tony…what happened?" she knew his mother was dead, but had no idea what had happened, or when.

"She…was diagnosed with brain cancer…Died to months later" he mumbled, voice hoarse as he was holding back tears. Kate hated to see him cry. It had, thankfully, only happened on a few occasions. When he cried, it made her feel helpless. Someone like the usually playful and easygoing Tony was hurting so much that he cried. It was horrible to just watch and not be able to do anything. Carefully, Kate turned in his arms. He had a hard time meeting her gaze but managed. She moved her hand to his cheek. "I am so sorry, Tony"

He swallowed. "I know" he said and turned his face away from her. Gently but insistently, Kate made him look at her. "I really am"

"I know, Kate. I know. Guess we all need downfalls, huh?" he managed a half-hearted smile.

"Not too many" she hugged him tight before they turned back to years and years of memories and pictures. Kate noticed that there was quite a lot of Danni in the beginning but then it was like she just disappeared. But she didn't ask.

She also got to see Tony dressed up for Halloween, posing with his mom, having birthday parties and playing with a dog, which she assumed was a Shi-tzu. Two hours and several stories later, Tony got up to stash the albums back in the wardrobe. Meanwhile, Kate changed into her pyjamas and tried to process everything he'd shown her. She wanted to ask about Danni but didn't want to press him. After all, he'd taken a huge step only by telling all this.

"You still owe me a wardrobe" she said, steering their conversation onto a new subject.

"The chair doesn't seem to mind" Tony said with a shrug and a half smile. Kate was relieved to see the spark beginning to return to his eyes.

After finishing their night routine, they both climbed into bed. Kate curled up on the covers but Tony remained sitting.

"You okay?" she asked and shifted to look at him.

"I should have told you about Danni…"

"It was none of my business"

"Yes, it was Kate. We've known each other for more than three years and I didn't say a word about her"

"Tony…" she began but he interrupted her.

"No. Listen. The reason to my behaviour today was that…" he trailed off but took a deep breath and continued. "What Andy told us…It was like he was talking about me and Danni"

"She was…doing drugs?"

"I caught her. Came home from college over the weekend. She had changed. I saw it the minute I arrived at the door. I thought she would jump down the stairs you know…" he smiled a small, sad smile. "But I didn't see her until dinner and later…I saw it with my own eyes…"

"Ecstasy?"

"Heroine…" he turned his face away. "She was only sixteen…" he mumbled, mostly to himself. "The next time I came home, she'd moved out"

"I don't know what to say, Tony" Kate said truthfully. She had no idea. Tony had never told her things like this before. Now he was pouring out his whole childhood history and she'd had no idea that it was so tragic. Before they'd entered their relationship, she'd thought he was an easygoing guy with no worries or emotional luggage that bothered him. But obviously she'd just been proven wrong. Immediately she regretted all the comments she'd dropped about the expensive childhood he'd had.

He shrugged. "It's a long time ago" he said with a small shrug, before crawling down under the covers beside her. "Doesn't matter now" he added a moment later and Kate knew that it was subtle way of saying he didn't want to talk about it anymore. And she understood. Right now, she was just thankful that he trusted her enough to tell.

* * *

**_This might seem OOC to you. I hope it's not too OOC to be flushed down the toilet. Imagine their reactions in SWAK and now how Tony's acting in the fifth season. Watched the first season last night, it's turned into a completely different show! Anyway, I saw a clip from the season five premiere as well. Oh my God, I should have known! In Sweden, we're still stuck somewhere in season four but that's why there's something called youtube, right? So, I hoped this was a good chapter and that it answered some of your questions. It's not the whole story thought, it will be more_.**

_**Now, review!! And thanks for reading :)**_


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